The free-to-play shooter went from almost 100,000 concurrent players to fewer than 10,000 on Steam after a wave of negative reviews due to technical problems and a lack of content
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With less than two days since its debut, Highguard, the free-to-play shooter developed by Wildlight Entertainment, suffered an abrupt drop in its Steam player base, losing nearly 90% of its active users. The title was presented with major prominence during The Game Awards 2025, where it closed the event with a surprise launch that caused high expectations.
At its debut, Highguard reached a peak of 97,249 concurrent players, but that initial interest faded quickly after the appearance of widespread negative reviews that pointed to technical problems, poor performance, and an unappealing experience.
A launch with very high expectations
Part of the initial enthusiasm was explained by the participation of developers with a past at Respawn Entertainment and by the surprise launch strategy, which usually generates a strong media impact. After its debut on January 26, Steam recorded a peak close to 100,000 connected users, a promising number for a competitive free-to-play shooter.
However, the product's lack of readiness became evident within a few hours. During the first day, the player base shrank by approximately 80%, and after 48 hours the number dropped to fewer than 10,000 active users.
Highguard pierde casi el 90% de sus jugadores en Steam a menos de 48 horas de su lanzamiento
Sustained drop and warning signs on Steam
Although there are no official figures for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series versions, the Steam data clearly reflects the game's difficulties in retaining players. The drop was not gradual but abrupt, which usually indicates structural problems in the initial experience.
This type of early decline is usually especially damaging in free-to-play titles, where the critical mass of players is key to sustaining matchmaking and the perception of the game's vitality.
Criticism over bugs, performance, and lack of identity
The reviews on Steam currently exceed 23,000 evaluations, with barely 33% positive ratings, which places the game in the "mostly negative" category. Among the most frequent complaints, users mention:
Persistent bugs and technical errors
Unstable performance
Uninspired maps
Repetitive gameplay with no clear identity
Many players point out that Highguard tries to cover multiple styles without standing out in any of them, which results in a fragmented and barely memorable experience.
Promises of updates and a skeptical community
Highguard pierde casi el 90% de sus jugadores en Steam a menos de 48 horas de su lanzamiento
In the face of this adverse outlook, Wildlight Entertainment announced that it is working on constant updates and content expansion for the coming weeks. However, the reception of these announcements was lukewarm: a large part of the community expresses doubts about whether the changes will arrive in time to reverse the poor first impression.
On forums and social networks, numerous users maintain that the problems go beyond simple tweaks and that the core gameplay needs a thorough overhaul.
A new case that reopens the debate on surprise launches
Highguard's case once again brings into question a growing trend in the industry: surprise launches with major media exposure, which manage to attract players in the short term but fail by not offering a solid experience from day one.
The community's rapid negative reaction demonstrates the weight of the first reviews and the low tolerance of players toward products they perceive as unfinished or poorly optimized.
